The Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx), is an antelope of medium size which is native to steppe and desert areas within the Arabian peninsula. It derives from the family Bovidae and is in the genus Oryx, also known commonly as White Oryx in English. The Arabian Oryx is the smallest member of the Oryx genus, standing 1 meter tall up to its shoulder and weighing approximately 70 kilograms. The coat of an Arabian Oryx is an almost luminescent white, whilst their legs are brown and black stripes running down from the horns through the eyes and to the nose. The Arabian Oryx is widely known for its explicit shoulder hump, elongated straight horns and clustered tail, their horns being a distinct feature spanning between 50 cm to 75 cm. Along with many other animals, for example the leopard, it is a four legged creature.
Diagram
A diagram of a male Arabian Oryx. Please note that a female may have slightly different features such as shorter horns.
The natural habitat of the Arabian Oryx, just like all that of all other animals, contributes greatly to its lifestyle and characteristics. As suggested by its name, the herds of Arabian Oryx are mainly found along desert and steppe areas surrounding the Arab peninsula, and historically ranged throughout the whole of the Middle East. However, for over a decade after 1972, it was completely extinct in the wild until it was reintroduced during the 1980s into Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabian and Jordan with its status now still listed as endangered and decreasing. The the Arabian Oryx can also be found in parts of Northern Africa such as Tunisia, but is the only species of Oryx known to inhabit the Asian continent.
The Arabian Oryx lives in nomadic herds, with the regular group size being between eight to twenty. Interestingly, herds of up to 100 have been spotted in the past, staying together for a considerable amount of time before separating.However, now they do not travel in huge herds due to fear of being spotted by humans, whom were responsible for its extinction in the wild due to over hunting, both by tribes such as the Bedouin and by motorized groups hunting for sport. Other than humans, wolves are its only predators.
Nowadays, the Arabian Oryx still exists in large numbers in Israel, Oman and Saudi Arabia where it inhabits the arid deserts and plains. The desert areas which are inhabited by herds of Arabian Oryx are very remote areas and are often inhospitable for humans. In this kind of surrounding, the Arabian Oryx must endure temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius during the summer months. The hard sand and gravel from the Arabian desert protects them from the majority of predators and hunters whom travel by foot due to their endurance and speed. Currently, there are about 1100 individual Oryx's in the wild with the amount of breeding pairs unknown but predicted to be less than 200. Since its reintroduction starting from 1980 back into the wild, the number of Arabian Oryx's have still been decreasing mainly due to predators, with humans accounting for the most deaths.
The Arabian Oryx spends most of its time resting in one spot and thus usually dig burrows underneath trees in order to make it more difficult for predators to spot them but also to keep away from the sun's rays and the scorching desert heat which causes it too sweat more often.
The diet of an Arabian Oryx is herbivorous and mostly composes of grass, but also includes an abundant variety of vegetation such as fruits, herbs, trees, tubers, roots and buds.The Arabian Oryx can live several weeks without water and usually travels with many others in a herd to follow scarce rainfall and in search of new plants which may grow subsequently. As the Arabian Oryx is a herbivore, it usually prefers to inhabit areas around dune edging sand desserts where a diverse and abundant amount of vegetation of shrubs, trees and grasses can be found.
The Arabian Oryx lives in difficult conditions within a harsh environment which is inhospitable for many species of animals and therefore has acquired a few behavioral adaptations to help it survive, the most notable one being to rest during the hot part of a day. The Arabian Oryx inhabits arid desert and steppe areas which during summer may be as hot as 50 degrees Celsius and in order to preserve energy and water it often lies inactive underneath the cover of trees, conducting body heat into the ground and reducing water loss caused by evaporation. The fact that the Arabian Oryx inhabits very remote areas of hot and barren desert land most likely gave rise to this adaptation, which is also common with humans when forced to travel on foot in deserts.Another factor may be due to the fact that traveling during the day may require too much energy whilst at night it may move about more efficiently.
Feeding at dusk
Another common behavioral adaptation of the Arabian Oryx is that it tends to feed at dusk. Feeding at dusk helps the Arabian Oryx digest more quickly due to the cooler nocturnal hours. The Arabian Oryx spends as much as up to eight hours during daylight resting due to the scorching sun and humidity and thus does its hunting for roots, shrubs and other forms of vegetation during night, feeding at dusk after collecting enough from its almost empty surroundings. Factors that could of led to this may be due to the fact that as the Arabian Oryx does most of its searching for vegetation after the hottest part of the day when the sun has gone down, it will thus become a habit to eat afterwords at dusk, which proves much easier than eating during the hot, humid daytime period as the Arabian Oryx digests a lot more easily.
Structural Adaptations
Large hooves
The Arabian Oryx is the smallest of its genus but well known for its large hooves, which along with its well spaced legs and cylinder shaped body give it a speedy horse-like stride. The large hooves of an Arabian Oryx are spread out and loosely resemble a spade, an adaptation for treading along flaccid, sandy soil. he large hooves are useful as herds of Arabian Oryx's must travel miles in order to find a decent water source, which they can detect from a long distance, but must travel quickly along the sands in order to reach it as they often live weeks without water. Environmental factors that could have given rise to this adaptation most likely was that over centuries and centuries the Arabian Oryx had to continuously travel great distances in the vast, inhospitable desert and barren steppe areas and therefore developed larger hooves which allowed them to take to the sands more easily.
Long, spear-like horns
Another structural adaptation of the Arabian Oryx are its long, lengthy horns. With horns spanning from 50 cm to 75 cm, the Arabian Oryx put their horns into use very often and for a number of purposes, with the female's horn usually being longer but thinner than the male's. The horns of an Arabian Oryx are used mostly as a weapon, sometimes against predators but habitually against other Arabian Oryx's. During the early twentieth century and before, the Arabian Oryx used its horns to fight primarily against its common predator, the wolf, but as time went by, humans became its main predator, often hunting whilst on motorized transport, making it impossible for it to defend itself with its horns and consequently lead to its temporary extinction in the wild in 1972. Male Arabian Oryx's use their horns often to fight other males for particular females, with the victor attracting the female''s attention. At other times, males are also known to fight over territory. Environment pressure that could have given rise to the adaptation of long horns may be due to the fact that as the Arabian Oryx was often subject to attack by predators such as wolves led to the adaptation of longer horns, which up till now has been one of its most important needs for survival.
Physiological Adaptations
Ability to produce and store water
The Arabian Oryx lives in a barren and empty plains where water, food and life is extremely rare, similar to that of the neighboring Sahara desert. Over centuries and possibly millenniums of living in this kind of environment, it is not surprising for the Arabian Oryx to inherit a few physiological adaptations which may be quite peculiar, such as its ability to produce metabolic water. Among hoofed animals living within a desert, the Arabian Oryx has the lowest possible mass specific water turn-over rate, surprisingly being approximately four times lower than that of the camel. Thus, the Arabian Oryx is capable of covering its daily expenses of water with metabolic water which it internally produces, sufficing about 14% of its water expenses whilst pre-formed water of the ingested forage suffices the other 86%. This ability has helped and benefited the Arabian Oryx in many ways, but most importantly in that it allows the animal to travel many weeks without water from an external source, giving it enough time to cover many miles in order to reach a source of rain and vegetation which it is able to track. Environmental pressure that could of given rise to the Arabian Oryx's ability to produce water was probably due to the fact that as they often went days and weeks without water and constantly went from one water source to another water or food source, the herds or individuals of Arabian Oryx's spent most of their time traveling from one source to another, similar to many other desert animals such as the camel. Thus, due to this reason, they would have developed the ability to produce and store water after many centuries.
What did the Arabian Oryx evolve from?
After some extensive research on the possible ancestors of the Arabian Oryx, it appears that as hardly anything is known about them there appears to be little or no information at all which is related. Thus, the Osbornoceros, which i happened to find is the ancestor of many even-toed ungulates which belong to the Artiodactyla order, very possibly including the Arabian Oryx.
Arabian Oryx
Introduction
The Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx), is an antelope of medium size which is native to steppe and desert areas within the Arabian peninsula. It derives from the family Bovidae and is in the genus Oryx, also known commonly as White Oryx in English. The Arabian Oryx is the smallest member of the Oryx genus, standing 1 meter tall up to its shoulder and weighing approximately 70 kilograms. The coat of an Arabian Oryx is an almost luminescent white, whilst their legs are brown and black stripes running down from the horns through the eyes and to the nose. The Arabian Oryx is widely known for its explicit shoulder hump, elongated straight horns and clustered tail, their horns being a distinct feature spanning between 50 cm to 75 cm. Along with many other animals, for example the leopard, it is a four legged creature.Diagram
Scientific Classification Table
Habitat and Range
The natural habitat of the Arabian Oryx, just like all that of all other animals, contributes greatly to its lifestyle and characteristics. As suggested by its name, the herds of Arabian Oryx are mainly found along desert and steppe areas surrounding the Arab peninsula, and historically ranged throughout the whole of the Middle East. However, for over a decade after 1972, it was completely extinct in the wild until it was reintroduced during the 1980s into Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabian and Jordan with its status now still listed as endangered and decreasing. The the Arabian Oryx can also be found in parts of Northern Africa such as Tunisia, but is the only species of Oryx known to inhabit the Asian continent.The Arabian Oryx lives in nomadic herds, with the regular group size being between eight to twenty. Interestingly, herds of up to 100 have been spotted in the past, staying together for a considerable amount of time before separating.However, now they do not travel in huge herds due to fear of being spotted by humans, whom were responsible for its extinction in the wild due to over hunting, both by tribes such as the Bedouin and by motorized groups hunting for sport. Other than humans, wolves are its only predators.
Nowadays, the Arabian Oryx still exists in large numbers in Israel, Oman and Saudi Arabia where it inhabits the arid deserts and plains. The desert areas which are inhabited by herds of Arabian Oryx are very remote areas and are often inhospitable for humans. In this kind of surrounding, the Arabian Oryx must endure temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius during the summer months. The hard sand and gravel from the Arabian desert protects them from the majority of predators and hunters whom travel by foot due to their endurance and speed. Currently, there are about 1100 individual Oryx's in the wild with the amount of breeding pairs unknown but predicted to be less than 200. Since its reintroduction starting from 1980 back into the wild, the number of Arabian Oryx's have still been decreasing mainly due to predators, with humans accounting for the most deaths.
The Arabian Oryx spends most of its time resting in one spot and thus usually dig burrows underneath trees in order to make it more difficult for predators to spot them but also to keep away from the sun's rays and the scorching desert heat which causes it too sweat more often.
The diet of an Arabian Oryx is herbivorous and mostly composes of grass, but also includes an abundant variety of vegetation such as fruits, herbs, trees, tubers, roots and buds.The Arabian Oryx can live several weeks without water and usually travels with many others in a herd to follow scarce rainfall and in search of new plants which may grow subsequently. As the Arabian Oryx is a herbivore, it usually prefers to inhabit areas around dune edging sand desserts where a diverse and abundant amount of vegetation of shrubs, trees and grasses can be found.
Behavioral Adaptations
Resting during hot part of day
The Arabian Oryx lives in difficult conditions within a harsh environment which is inhospitable for many species of animals and therefore has acquired a few behavioral adaptations to help it survive, the most notable one being to rest during the hot part of a day. The Arabian Oryx inhabits arid desert and steppe areas which during summer may be as hot as 50 degrees Celsius and in order to preserve energy and water it often lies inactive underneath the cover of trees, conducting body heat into the ground and reducing water loss caused by evaporation. The fact that the Arabian Oryx inhabits very remote areas of hot and barren desert land most likely gave rise to this adaptation, which is also common with humans when forced to travel on foot in deserts.Another factor may be due to the fact that traveling during the day may require too much energy whilst at night it may move about more efficiently.Feeding at dusk
Another common behavioral adaptation of the Arabian Oryx is that it tends to feed at dusk. Feeding at dusk helps the Arabian Oryx digest more quickly due to the cooler nocturnal hours. The Arabian Oryx spends as much as up to eight hours during daylight resting due to the scorching sun and humidity and thus does its hunting for roots, shrubs and other forms of vegetation during night, feeding at dusk after collecting enough from its almost empty surroundings. Factors that could of led to this may be due to the fact that as the Arabian Oryx does most of its searching for vegetation after the hottest part of the day when the sun has gone down, it will thus become a habit to eat afterwords at dusk, which proves much easier than eating during the hot, humid daytime period as the Arabian Oryx digests a lot more easily.Structural Adaptations
Large hooves
The Arabian Oryx is the smallest of its genus but well known for its large hooves, which along with its well spaced legs and cylinder shaped body give it a speedy horse-like stride. The large hooves of an Arabian Oryx are spread out and loosely resemble a spade, an adaptation for treading along flaccid, sandy soil. he large hooves are useful as herds of Arabian Oryx's must travel miles in order to find a decent water source, which they can detect from a long distance, but must travel quickly along the sands in order to reach it as they often live weeks without water. Environmental factors that could have given rise to this adaptation most likely was that over centuries and centuries the Arabian Oryx had to continuously travel great distances in the vast, inhospitable desert and barren steppe areas and therefore developed larger hooves which allowed them to take to the sands more easily.Long, spear-like horns
Another structural adaptation of the Arabian Oryx are its long, lengthy horns. With horns spanning from 50 cm to 75 cm, the Arabian Oryx put their horns into use very often and for a number of purposes, with the female's horn usually being longer but thinner than the male's. The horns of an Arabian Oryx are used mostly as a weapon, sometimes against predators but habitually against other Arabian Oryx's. During the early twentieth century and before, the Arabian Oryx used its horns to fight primarily against its common predator, the wolf, but as time went by, humans became its main predator, often hunting whilst on motorized transport, making it impossible for it to defend itself with its horns and consequently lead to its temporary extinction in the wild in 1972. Male Arabian Oryx's use their horns often to fight other males for particular females, with the victor attracting the female''s attention. At other times, males are also known to fight over territory. Environment pressure that could have given rise to the adaptation of long horns may be due to the fact that as the Arabian Oryx was often subject to attack by predators such as wolves led to the adaptation of longer horns, which up till now has been one of its most important needs for survival.Physiological Adaptations
Ability to produce and store water
The Arabian Oryx lives in a barren and empty plains where water, food and life is extremely rare, similar to that of the neighboring Sahara desert. Over centuries and possibly millenniums of living in this kind of environment, it is not surprising for the Arabian Oryx to inherit a few physiological adaptations which may be quite peculiar, such as its ability to produce metabolic water. Among hoofed animals living within a desert, the Arabian Oryx has the lowest possible mass specific water turn-over rate, surprisingly being approximately four times lower than that of the camel. Thus, the Arabian Oryx is capable of covering its daily expenses of water with metabolic water which it internally produces, sufficing about 14% of its water expenses whilst pre-formed water of the ingested forage suffices the other 86%. This ability has helped and benefited the Arabian Oryx in many ways, but most importantly in that it allows the animal to travel many weeks without water from an external source, giving it enough time to cover many miles in order to reach a source of rain and vegetation which it is able to track. Environmental pressure that could of given rise to the Arabian Oryx's ability to produce water was probably due to the fact that as they often went days and weeks without water and constantly went from one water source to another water or food source, the herds or individuals of Arabian Oryx's spent most of their time traveling from one source to another, similar to many other desert animals such as the camel. Thus, due to this reason, they would have developed the ability to produce and store water after many centuries.What did the Arabian Oryx evolve from?
After some extensive research on the possible ancestors of the Arabian Oryx, it appears that as hardly anything is known about them there appears to be little or no information at all which is related. Thus, the Osbornoceros, which i happened to find is the ancestor of many even-toed ungulates which belong to the Artiodactyla order, very possibly including the Arabian Oryx.Ancient Animal: Osbornoceros
Future Animal: Mountain Oryx
Bibliography